In the frame: Portraits canter centre stage

Sarah Conolly, mounted side saddle on a chestnut hunter in a landscape.

A pair of equestrian portraits by William Osborne (1823-1901) of Thomas and Sarah Connolly of Castletown House come up at Bonhams in London next Tuesday.

Built in 1722 for William Connolly, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, the Palladian mansion was occupied by the family for more than 240 years.

Bonhams anticipates that the portraits, commissioned in the mid-19th century by Thomas Connolly MP for Donegal, will create significant interest among collectors of Irish art and equestrian art.

They come up as part of the Elliot Collection from The Old Rectory at Chilton Foliat in Wiltshire where the owners felt a warm affinity with Ireland.

Their dining room was inspired by the Print Room at Castletown and there is decoration by the renowned Irish muralist Michael Dillon.

The portraits are each estimated at £20,000-£30,000 (€23,190-€34,790). Shown here is Sarah Conolly, mounted side saddle on a chestnut hunter in a landscape.